Environmental performance
In research as well as in practice there is no uniform understanding of environmental performance, which is why various definitions of terms are presented below.
Definition of environmental performance in standards and regulations
Three standards or regulations deal with the topic of environmental performance and environmental performance measurement . These include EMAS III , DIN EN ISO 14001 and 14031. ISO 14001 defines environmental performance as the measurable results of an organization with regard to the components of its activities and products that can affect the environment (environmental aspects). EMAS III and ISO 14031 delimit environmental performance in a similar way to ISO 14001, but non-measurable results are also included. According to DIN EN ISO 14031, environmental performance is defined as the “results that result from the management of the environmental aspects of an organization”. In connection with environmental management systems , results can be measured and assessed using both environmental policy and general and specific environmental objectives .
Definition of environmental performance in specialist literature
In the following, various definitions of environmental performance from the literature are presented (compiled by Günther).
- Pape and Doluschitz differentiate between environmental performance in the narrower sense and environmental performance in the broader sense. In terms of environmental performance i. e. S. only the direct environmental aspects and effects are in the center of consideration. Environmental performance i. w. S. also includes the indirect environmental aspects and effects.
- The BMU understands environmental performance as the company's environmental impact.
- Loew and Kottmann describe environmental performance as environmental impact and relief compared to self-imposed goals and externally prescribed standards.
- Stahlmann and Clausen see the environmental performance as the “indirect or direct environmental relief or revitalization of the natural environment”.
- Environmental performance is defined as a euphemistic variable by Kottmann, Loew and Clausen .
- Schaltegger, Wagner and Wehrmeyer define environmental performance as follows: "Environmental performance is the total of a firm's behavior towards natural environment (ie is the level of total resource consumption and emissions)".
Inductive definition of environmental performance
Environmental performance as such cannot be found in reference works. However, the meaning of environmental performance can be derived from the sub-terms “environment” and “performance”. The environment is defined as the “totality of all eco-factors that directly or indirectly affect a living being”. It consists of the factors air, water, soil and relief ( abiotic ) as well as plants, animals and humans ( biotic ). Operational performance is understood to be the result of an operational production process within a certain period of time. Accordingly, environmental performance is the result of biotic or abiotic factors that have been generated from operational production processes over a certain period of time and that have a direct and indirect effect on an organism or population.
Importance of environmental performance
The environmental performance is used to identify ways to optimize your management with regard to their environmental aspects. The aim is initially to identify significant environmental aspects for the company using the environmental performance measurement. This and other environmental performance information help determine measures that are necessary to meet your environmental performance criteria, goals and requirements. In addition, developments and trends in environmental performance can be helpful in identifying strategic opportunities. Last but not least, the efficiency and effectiveness of the company can be increased. Thus, environmental performance is an important instrument of strategic management.
Measurement of environmental performance
ISO 14031 distinguishes between two basic categories of indicators for environmental performance evaluation. The first category are the environmental status indicators. They provide information about the state of the environment. This information can help an organization better understand the actual or potential effects of its environmental aspects. The second category is the environmental performance indicators. This category can be differentiated into two types of environmental performance indicators.
- Management performance metrics refer to information about management's activities to influence environmental performance. These key figures mostly focus on compliance with legal requirements, allocation and efficient use of resources , environmental cost management, purchasing, product development, documentation and corrective measures that have or can have an impact on the environmental performance of the organization.
- Operational KPIs relate to information about the environmental performance of an organization in the operational area. These metrics mainly cover the use of materials, raw materials and energy. The disposal of emissions and internal waste management are also focal points.
The breakdown into management and operational performance indicators is helpful in reducing company weaknesses to management or operational problems.
Control of environmental performance
Every definition of environmental performance relates to either the operational level of a company or the strategic management level (sometimes both). This means that environmental performance can also be controlled on both levels.
Strategic level
The starting point for controlling environmental performance is the willingness of management to incorporate environmental aspects into business decisions (environmental performance). Building on this, the environmental performance is defined as a company's strategic objective and implemented with the help of an ecologically-oriented strategy and the introduction of an environmental management system (EMS).
Operational level
At the same time, an EMS is also the interface between the strategic and operational level, since goals and measures for the operational company level are derived from the strategic target specifications. Then all employees have to be motivated and convinced as well as trained in their knowledge and behavior in order to fill the strategy of environmental orientation with life (socio-ecological success). The operational environmental performance considers both the ecological and the economic-ecological results. Environmental performance in the narrower sense only includes ecological success, which includes not only positive but also negative environmental effects and is measured via the material and energy flows. Environmental performance in the broader sense is expanded to include the economic perspective. Economic-ecological success is therefore an economic assessment of ecological success via prices.
literature
- Edeltraud Günther u. a .: Environmental Performance Measurement as an instrument for sustainable business . In: Dresden contributions to business administration . No. 46/01, 2001, ISSN 0945-4810 ( online ).
- Edeltraud Günther u. a .: Conceptual principles of environmental performance measurement in small and medium-sized companies . In: Dresden contributions to business administration . No. 64/02, 2002, ISSN 0945-4810 ( online ).
- Edeltraud Günther u. a .: From conception to EPM-KOMPAS. Implementation of environmental performance measurement with small and medium-sized companies . In: Dresden contributions to business administration . No. 75/03, 2003, ISSN 0945-4810 ( online ).
- Environment in: Microsoft Encarta
- Standards Committee Basics of Environmental Protection (NAGUS) at DIN German Institute for Standardization e. V. (Ed.): DIN EN ISO 14001: 2004. Environmental management systems. Requirements with instructions for use . Berlin 2005.
- Standards Committee Basics of Environmental Protection (NAGUS) at DIN German Institute for Standardization e. V. (Ed.): DIN EN ISO 14031: 1999. Environmental performance assessment. Guidelines . Berlin 2000.
- A. Sturm: Performance Measurement and Environmental Performance Measurement. Development of a controlling model for in-house measurement of corporate environmental performance . Dresden 2000 ( online ).
- M. Wagner, S. Schaltegger: The Effect of Corporate Environmental Strategy Choice and Environmental Performance on Competitiveness and Economic Performance. An Empirical Analysis in EU Manufacturing . In: European Management Journal , 2005, Volume 22, Issue 5, October, pp. 557-572.